7 Steps to Choose the Right Executor and Power of Attorney

7 Steps to Choose the Right Executor and Power of Attorney

1. Choose someone who knows how to work. Lazy people will not take care of your business any better than they take care of their own business. If their house is a mess, their car dirty, and their kids run wild- you can count on them providing even less care to your home and your “stuff.”

2. Choose someone who can do the math. If their checking account is a wreck; if they can’t live on what they earn; if they are forced to borrow from Peter to pay Paul, before Paul turns off the electric; if they can barely make it to the next payday loan store, your finances will soon be devastated as well.

3. Choose someone who has some backbone. Choose one who knows how to say “No”, and stand firmly when “No” is the right answer. No, you may not “borrow” mom’s car. No, your unemployed son cannot “rent” mom’s house.

4. Choose someone who knows that they don’t know everything and will do their research to find the answer. No one will have all of the answers, and it is far better if they recognize the gaps in their knowledge and will be willing to find the answers. People who think they know everything are dangerous.

5. Choose and appoint someone with some real life experience. There are a great many things learned best by years of experience. Life will teach you to be kinder, more careful, thoughtful, if you will let it. A 20 year old just does not have the same perspective and knowledge as someone who has held a job and a family together for 20 years. On the other hand, age alone is not enough. Some idiots are just older and not wiser.

6. Choose a person who has demonstrated both a commitment to work and a commitment to maintaining relationships. If she has not been loving and close (emotionally), don’t expect that to change. She will still be unavailable when she has control of your checkbook. If she has spent her life leaving, she will leave you again and probably when you need her the most.

7. Choose someone who lives a life of sobriety. If he “escapes” with a little weed on the weekends, or has a history of “over-indulging” in adult beverages, that monkey on his back will not become less important when he has your life savings in hand. The small weekend habit that he can afford now may become a full blown relapse when he can afford “the good stuff.”

If you would like help creating a wise estate plan that takes your family dynamics into consideration, please call Oklahoma Estate Attorneys, PLLC at 405-733-8686. Join us for a free estate planning workshop where you can continue to learn about your estate planning options.